At the university, the training of specialists is carried out according to the relevant educational-professional, educational-scientific, scientific programme at the following levels of higher education, which provide for the awarding of the corresponding degree of higher education:
- initial level (short cycle) of higher education – Junior Specialist (CHNU college);
- first (bachelor’s) – bachelor’s degree;
- second (master's) – master's degree;
- third (educational and scientific) – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD);
- scientific level – Doctor of Science (DSc).
A junior specialist or junior bachelor is an educational and professional degree obtained at the initial level (short cycle) of higher education and awarded by a higher education institution (HEI) as a result of successful completion by the student of higher education of an educational and professional programme, the volume of which is 90-120 ECTS credits.
A person has the right to obtain a junior specialist’s degree, provided that he has a complete general secondary education.
A bachelor's degree is an educational degree obtained at the first level of higher education and awarded by a higher education institution (HEI) as a result of successful completion by the student of higher education of an educational and professional programme, the volume of which is 180-240 ECTS credits. The scope of the educational and professional programme for obtaining a bachelor's degree based on the junior bachelor's degree is determined by the higher education institution (HEI).
A person has the right to obtain a bachelor's degree, provided that he has a complete general secondary education or a junior bachelor's degree.
A master's degree is an educational degree obtained at the second level of higher education and awarded by a higher education institution (HEI) as a result of successful completion of the corresponding educational programme by the higher education recipient. A master's degree is obtained by an educational-professional or an educational-scientific programme. The volume of the educational and professional programme of master's training is 90-120 ECTS credits, the volume of the educational and scientific programme is 120 ECTS credits. The master's educational and scientific programme necessarily includes a research (scientific) component of at least 30 percent.
A person has the right to obtain a master's degree, provided that he has a bachelor's degree.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is an educational and at the same time the first scientific degree obtained at the third level of higher education on the basis of a master's degree. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded by the specialised academic council of a higher education institution (HEI) or scientific institution as a result of successful completion of the relevant educational and scientific programme by the student of higher education and the public defence of the dissertation in the specialised academic council.
A person has the right to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy while studying at a graduate school. Persons who professionally carry out scientific, scientific-technical or scientific-pedagogical activities at their main place of work have the right to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy outside of postgraduate studies, in particular during a creative leave, provided they successfully complete the relevant educational and scientific programme and publicly defend their dissertation in the specialised scientific council.
The standard period of training for a doctor of philosophy in postgraduate studies is four years. The volume of the educational component of the educational and scientific programme for the preparation of a doctor of philosophy is 30-60 ECTS credits.
Doctor of Science (DSc) is the second scientific degree obtained by a person at the scientific level of higher education on the basis of the Doctor of Philosophy degree and involves the acquisition of the highest competencies in the field of development and implementation of research methodology, conducting original research, obtaining scientific results that provide the solution of an important theoretical or applied problem, have national or world significance and are published in scientific publications.